A good stripper is hard to find...

...a good paint stripper that is.

I've been searching for a good paint stripper that won't harm either plastic or metal miniatures. The word on the Internet is that Simple Green all-purpose cleaner is one of the best. The best thing is that it's also non-toxic and biodegradable.

I've looked in my local supermarkets and hardware stores over the last few months but couldn't find it. I then found a thread on a miniature painting forum that explained it could only be found in Australia at mega-hardware store Bunnings Warehouse. So a quick trip to my local Bunnings store this afternoon and I found it in the cleaning products aisle.


AU$9.47 for a 650ml (22 fl oz) bottle. I'm keen to see if it works as good as it is supposed to. I'll report back in a week or two.

Gaming with Grandma - 113

Another Saturday morning gaming session with my mother (AKA Grandma) and daughters Maddie (aged 8) and Georgia (aged 4).

Our first game of the morning was Ingenious. The object of the game is to score points in six different colours by placing plastic tiles consisting of two joined hexes. You score points when you place coloured tiles next to matching colours. The game ends when there is no room to place any further tiles or someone wins by scoring the maximum points in each colour. If the game ends when the space runs out then everyone checks their least-scored colour and the person who scored the most points in their least-scored colour wins the game.


Final scores were:

Grandma - 10, 12, 15, 15, 18 ,18
Wayne - 10, 11, 12, 15, 15, 17
Maddie - 10, 10, 11, 12, 15, 18

Grandma came first on count back, I came 2nd and Maddie came 3rd.

Our second game of the morning was PitchCar Mini. Georgia joined us for this game so we had four 'cars' on the track. I played brown, Grandma played yellow, Maddie played green and Georgia played pink. We had the house rule that whoever was in last place took two flicks.


I led for pretty much the entire race with 2nd, 3rd and 4th places hotly contested between the girls. I went on to win the three-lap race, with Georgia a surprise 2nd place, Grandma 3rd and Maddie 4th.

Orcs from Mordor!

This evening I finished my latest painting project of 24 Mordor Orcs from Games Workshop's Lord of the Rings line of miniatures. These plastic figures are 25mm in scale and were painted with Citadel acrylic paints. All figures were purchased second-hand, mainly from eBay. I stripped all pre-existing paint from these miniatures and started again from scratch. I painted them using a production-line method. Click on the picture for a larger image.


There are eight with a hand weapon and shield, eight with bows and eight with two-handed weapons.

I now have some enemies for my warriors of Minas Tirith to battle. This will give me the opportunity to do solo testing of some miniatures rules such as Lord of the Rings - Strategy Battle Game and Song of Blades and Heroes.

Gaming with Grandma - 112

Our game session this morning was at Grandma's house for a change.

We played Quicksand. This is a game in which the object is to be the first adventurer to reach the hidden temple. You use cards to move and hinder the playing pieces which represent the six adventurers. The catch is that each player is secretly assigned one adventurer at the beginning of the game as their character. You win if your character is the first player-owned character to reach the temple. If a non-player character is the first to reach the temple it is reset on its starting space.


So this is a race game where bluffing is the main tactic. Advancing only your own character is a sure way to identify it to the other players who can then play 'quicksand' cards to hinder you. Trying to identify who owns which character while at the same time trying to prevent them from guessing your own, and still trying to advance towards the temple, can be a difficult balancing act.

I played black, Grandma played yellow and Maddie played red. I did end up winning, after Maddie unknowingly helped me at times during the game. Grandma progressed quite well and didn't move her own character at all during the game!

This is a fun, light bluffing game and I'm sure it will see further plays.

Modern Warfare Online Multiplayer Fun

I just reached Level 70 (the top rank prior to prestige ranking) in online multiplayer Modern Warfare 2. It may have taken me longer than others but I've been enjoying this game on an almost daily basis since I hooked up to Xbox Live back on 11 December 2009. I checked my stats of time spent playing this game online - 3 days, 21 hours, 32 minutes. That's over 93 hours so far and I have to say every single minute was FUN!


Whenever I have a spare half-hour and feel the need for some first-person shooter action I can log on to Xbox Live and get in a few quick matches of MW2. Sure, my game play sucked at first and I didn't know what I was doing, but I soon mastered the controls and with time became familiar with the maps and tactics. I play mostly Team Death Match and Free-For-All.

So why do I like playing this game online?

1) I can play against other human beings. Human beings are so much better opponents than the AI. Humans are at times both predictable and unpredictable. There is nothing better than matching wits against other live players.

2) I enjoy dexterity-based board games. Video games are the ultimate in testing your skills of hand-eye coordination and reflexes.

3) Although I've never played skirmish paintball games, I've always wanted to, and I feel MW2 (and most FPS games) would be a close electronic equivalent.

4) So many different weapons, classes, maps and tactics to explore.

5) An experience system that brings back memories of my days of roleplaying games.

The only negative for me is the lag that I experience. Lag is where what I see on screen is a fraction of a second behind what other players see. This is a symptom of connecting from Australia to games mostly hosted by North Americans.

But even with lag I do fairly well, winning the occasional game and generally placing in the top 30% of matches. I dream of lag free games but this only happens when the host is an Australian or New Zealander.

Having said that I still very much enjoy the online play for the immense FUN factor.

Some New Games

A parcel arrived for me today. A parcel of new games. You won't believe this but it has been 12 months (one whole year!) since I last purchased a new game. I was shocked when I realised this. What is happening to me? Am I reaching a point of board game saturation where I'm satisfied with the games I have? Say it ain't so! ;)

MilSims recently had an overstock sale with some great titles for only $15 each. I ordered Lord of the Rings: Friends & Foes expansion, Lord of the Rings: Sauron expansion and Quicksand. I would have also ordered Lord of the Rings: The Confrontation - Deluxe Edition for $15 had I not already had it in my collection.


Alas, they'd sold out of Lord of the Rings: Friends & Foes Expansion by the time they received my order. I'm looking at introducing the Lord of the Rings cooperative game to Mum and Maddie in the future so was looking at picking up both expansions. Ah, well.

Quicksand looks interesting, sort of like The Great Balloon Race which is a game I quite enjoyed playing.

I'm off to crack open some shrink wrap.

Local Gamer Wins National Settlers of Catan Championship

It was cool to see a board game related article in today's issue of mX, a free newspaper available to commuters in Brisbane.


The article features local Brisbane gamer Danny Frahm (BGG user FinalAttack), and recognises him winning the fifth Australian Championship of Settlers of Catan, held at the Australian Games Expo (AGE) in Canberra last month.

I haven't had the pleasure of meeting Danny in person, but am aware of him from BGG, and he games with some people I know. Congratulations Danny, and it's great to see the board game hobby being celebrated in the media.

The Return of my Xbox 360

Sadly, on the evening of 30 January 2010, my Xbox 360 got the dreaded Red Ring of Death (RROD). This was the second time my Xbox 360 has had the RROD since I purchased it new just over two years ago in December 2007.

So I contacted Xbox Customer Support and they said they would cover the cost of postage as well as the repair. I carefully packaged my console and sent it off.

My Xbox 360 coffin ready for posting

And today, only eleven calendar days later, my Xbox 360 arrived home. Or did it?

My Xbox 360 is reborn!

A letter was enclosed with my Xbox 360.

Dear Xbox 360 Customer:

So that you can get back to playing and enjoying your Xbox 360 quicker, we have replaced your Xbox console with a replacement unit.

Please accept our apologies for the inconvenience you have experienced by having to send your Xbox 360 in for repair.

It is our goal to provide you with the best gaming and entertainment experience possible, and hope to regain your trust, satisfaction and loyalty.

Please accept this complimentary one month Xbox Live membership card as a gesture of our appreciation to you.

Thank you for your continued support of Microsoft products and services.

Sincerely,

Xbox Customer Support

So, I have a replacement console. They transferred my warranty registration to the replacement console and cancelled my old registration. Bear in mind, this is not a new replacement console, rather a refurbished replacement console. Still, it works and does appear to run quieter than my previous console.

So, has my trust, loyalty and satisfaction been regained? Let's just say that there better not be a RROD hat trick, OK Microsoft?

A Toilet Fit For a King!

As I was recording a play of King Me! on BoardGameGeek I noticed there was a mini-expansion (of a single card) to this game entitled King Me! - The Toilet which was released in 2004. I looked on both the Mayfair Games and daVinci Games sites but couldn't find any trace of it.

I decided to make my own. I copied an image from BGG and manipulated it with the GIMP. I then printed it out and glued it onto thick card. After that I trimmed it with a craft knife and finally gave it a spray of protective gloss varnish.

Voila! One toilet fit for a King!

My home-made Toilet expansion card

The rules for this expansion state: Before each round, put the toilet next to a floor (3, 4 or 5). The toilet is a special space that you can move a character to, from that floor, instead of moving him to a higher floor. There can be only one character in the toilet at a time. A character in the toilet is still counted towards the 4 character limit for that floor. You may move a character from the toilet to the next higher floor as a normal move. If a character is in the toilet when a new king is elected, he scores only 1 point.

My home-made toilet expansion card next to the the Crown card from the base game

My home-made Toilet expansion card on the King Me! board. It blends in quite nicely!

This expansion sounds like it will add a little fun to the game. I'll try it out next time we play.

Gaming with Grandma - 111

Another Saturday morning gaming session with my elder daughter (AKA Maddie) and mother (AKA Grandma).

Our first game of the morning was King Me! (AKA Viva il Re!), a light bluffing game in which the object is to ensure your favourite characters are increased in rank in the hope one can be crowned king. We last played this game 18 months ago. King Me! can be played free online at youplay.it.


We played the required three rounds.

Round 1 - Wayne 15, Grandma 14, Maddie 5
Round 2 - Grandma 23, Wayne, 19, Maddie 18
Round 3 - Wayne 31, Grandma 23, Maddie 18

Final scores were 1st Wayne 65, 2nd Grandma 60 and 3rd Maddie 41.

Our second game of the morning was Cartagena, a racing game where the object is to ensure you are the first to have all six of your escaped pirates reach the waiting boat at the end of the tunnel. It had been almost exactly one year to the day since we last played this game.


Final scores were 1st Wayne 6, 2nd Grandma 5 and 3rd Maddie 0.

Cartagena can also be played free online at youplay.it.

BioShock 2

Today, 9 February 2010, was the world-wide release day for BioShock 2, the sequel to the critically acclaimed video game BioShock. I have the original Bioshock (which is an awesome playing experience) but as I have not yet fully completed it I've made the decision to hold off on buying the sequel until I've done so. BioShock 2 will definitely be on my Xmas list (if I can wait that long).

The Saxon Stories

In my teens and twenties I was a big fiction reader, mostly fantasy and science fiction. In my thirties and now early forties I find that I lean towards reading histories and biographies (when I'm not reading game rules). I also find that as I get older I tend to read less (or maybe that's got something to do with having two little kids). These days any spare leisure time I have is usually spent listening to podcasts, surfing the Internet or indulging any of my many hobbies.

Years ago I read all of Bernard Cornwell's Sharpe series and his Starbuck Chronicles. I do enjoy historical fiction and Cornwell's novels have inspired me to research more about the eras in which they were set (not to mention buy several miniature wargames rules for the periods).


I've recently read some good reviews about Cornwell's The Saxon Stories and have been enticed into wanting to read the series. So today I visited the library and now have the first novel in my hands, a nice hardback of The Last Kingdom. I'm quite looking forward to reading this.

Gaming with Grandma - 110

My 8-year-old daughter Maddie decided to opt out of the game we played this morning - Red November. That left my mum (AKA Grandma) and I to play this cooperative game together. We chose to play using two gnomes each. I played green and red and Grandma played yellow and purple.

We've previously played Red November three times. Each time we have failed and our submarine has been destroyed in some cataclysmic event, ending the lives of our brave gnomish submariners.

The final board layout when rescue came

This time we actually beat the game! It was a tense time throughout but close to the end we thought all four gnomes would survive the 60 minutes and be rescued. Alas, with 1 minute left before rescue, my green gnome died tragically in a fire. Gnomish tankards of grog will be raised tonight in memory of his valiant and heroic efforts that saved the lives of his three comrades.

Cheap HeroScape

My wife checked out some local garage sales this morning. I was pleased when she returned with a HeroScape Master Set: Rise of the Valkyrie for me that she'd picked up for only $3. The set was missing the 30 figurines but everything else was there. I'm mainly interested in collecting terrain for this game system so this was a real bargain.


A quick wash with hot soapy water and it was a good as new!

Call forth the Host of Gondor!

Today I finally finished a painting project of 88 Warriors of Minas Tirith from Games Workshop's Lord of the Rings line of miniatures. These figures are 25mm in scale and were painted with acrylic Games Workshop paints. All figures were purchased second-hand, mainly from eBay. I stripped all existing paint from these figures and started again from scratch. I painted them using a production-line method.


There are 28 Warriors of Minas Tirith with sword and shield, 28 with spear and shield, and 32 with bow.

To motivate myself while painting I listened to the 13-CD dramatised BBC production of LOTR, as well as the three soundtrack CD's from the recent films, and also at times had the three special extended DVD edition films playing on the computer next to me.

It was a massive undertaking but I am very satisfied with the result. I'll post further photos in the coming days.

Gaming with Grandma - 109

Grandma, Maddie and I played The Downfall of Pompeii this morning. This game depicts the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in AD 79. Players place their people (meeple) into the city in the first phase of the game and then try to exit them in the second phase before lava and falling ash engulf the city. Grandma was yellow, Maddie was red and I was black.


By the time the first AD79 card was drawn Grandma had 13 meeples on the board (with 2 in the volcano), Maddie had 13 meeples on the board (with none in the volcano) and I had 12 meeples on the board (with one in the volcano).

Maddie picked up the strategy fairly quickly. She delighted in placing lava tiles on to my people and blocking off my exits. I gave as good as I got and did my best to hamper both her and Grandma. Final scores were Grandma 1st with 8, Maddie 2nd with 6, and me 3rd with 5.

Although this game is light-hearted fun it is based on a terrible real-life natural disaster in AD79 that is estimated to have caused between 10,000 to 25,000 deaths. Maddie was surprised that the game was based on an actual event. I showed her a couple of books I have on Pompeii and she marvelled at the well-preserved buildings and the plaster casts of the bodies of some of the victims.

Due to almost 2000 years having passed since this huge loss of life the horror of it is lessened somewhat. These people are removed from us by a gulf of time and culture although this does not make their deaths any less tragic than those we witness on the evening news. The theme of the game we played today could easily be changed to another type of natural disaster, for example an earthquake. Can you imagine the worldwide furore if someone produced a game depicting the recent Haiti earthquake?

Sunset

We watched a beautiful sunset from our back deck on Friday evening.

Can I paint your models, Dad?

"Can I paint your models, Dad?" Maddie asked.
"How about you start off painting some bases for me." I suggested.


She painted nine bases before she'd had enough...

Gaming with Grandma - 108

We played two different games in our regular weekly gaming session this Saturday morning. First up Mum and I played Battle Line. We decided to play two games, with each of us taking turns to lead with the initial card. Although the ancient battle theme is tacked on I find it does work well and with little imagination I can visualise two ancient armies clashing along a line of battle.


Trying to win an advantage at nine points along the line is the aim of the game. A win is scored for the first player to win three adjacent flags, or a five majority.


Mum beat me 5 flags to 3 in our first game. She achieved both victory conditions (i.e. 3 adjacent and 5 overall) on the same turn. I tried hard to even the score in our second game but she went on to thrash me 5 to 1, once again achieving both victory conditions on her turn. I always enjoy the tension of this game.

Maddie then joined us for a game of PitchCar Mini. We all really enjoy this fun dexterity game. We made a rule that if a player was in last place they could have two flicks of their car disc and this worked well. The lead constantly changed and it was very competitive for the entire three laps. Maddie went on to take the win with a final incredible shot.

Staged photo of the final placings - Maddie 1st, Wayne 2nd, Grandma 3rd

Gaming with Grandma - 107

Another Saturday morning gaming session with my mum (AKA Grandma) and elder daughter (AKA Maddie) aged 8.

Our first game of the new year was a good one - PitchCar Mini. This is a fun dexterity game of flicking wooden discs (race cars) around a modular wooden race track. Competition was tight but after the required three laps I eventually pulled off the win, with Grandma 2nd and Maddie 3rd.


Our second game of the morning was For Sale. We always find this light bidding game very enjoyable and today was no different. Final scores were me with $95K, Grandma with $86K and Maddie with $49K.

Two movies in one day

I went to see Avatar 3D at the Megaplex at Chermside by myself this morning. Absolutely loved the 3D experience and the visually stunning effects. Coming out of the movie I am now convinced that movie-making technology has developed to such a point that any story, no matter how visually demanding, can be realised. My excitement for the first of the Hobbit movies due for release in 2011 grows even more.

As the kids were staying overnight with their grandparents this evening, my wife suggested we go out for dinner and a movie. She recommended the Blue Room Cinebar at Paddington that she'd previously been to with a girlfriend. This small licensed cinema and bar complex only has a few small auditoriums where they show films. Each cinema has nice comfortable seating with a small table between the chairs. At the bar you can pre-book drinks, entrees and main meals and they will deliver them to you at nominated times during the movie. This is similar to the Gold Class experience some of the larger movie chains offer but in a more intimate surrounding. The delicious meals at the Cinebar come from the attached Thai restaurant. We both enjoyed the food and also the film we saw this evening, Sherlock Holmes.

Although they are much loved, what a pleasure it was to have some time alone without the kids.

2009 - My Year of Gaming

Happy New Year to you!

Well, it's the time of year when we all look back over the last 12 months. Here's how my gaming looked for 2009.

In 2009 I played 67 different games and expansions and logged a total of 143 plays. Compare this to 2008 where I played 92 different games and logged 184 plays. There has certainly been a reduction in board gaming in 2009 compared to the previous year.

One reason for this reduction in board gaming has been an increase in our family gaming with the Nintendo Wii. I don't necessarily see this as a bad thing as any time spent gaming together as a family is worthwhile, whether it be board games or video games. Wii games we most enjoyed playing together were the puzzle-solving of Pikmin and Pikmin II and the trivia challenges of Family Game Night. We enjoy the interaction that comes with board games but video games do have their place in our family gaming.

Blue Max	35
Commands & Colors: Ancients	8
Coda	5
Battle Cry	4
Formula Motor Racing	3
Haunted Castle	3
Loco!	3
PitchCar Mini	3
Red November	3
Wanted!	3
Battle Line	2
Commands & Colors: Ancients Expansion Pack #1: Greece & Eastern Kingdoms	2
Commands & Colors: Ancients Expansion Pack #2: Rome and the Barbarians	2
Commands & Colors: Ancients Expansion Pack #3: The Roman Civil Wars	2
Diamant	2
For Sale	2
Glory to Rome	2
Go	2
HeroScape Expansion Set: Thora's Vengeance	2
HeroScape Expansion Set: Utgar's Rage	2
HeroScape Master Set: Rise of the Valkyrie	2
Metro	2
Palago	2
Risk Express	2
Tigris & Euphrates	2
WobBally	2
Africa	1
The aMAZEing Labyrinth	1
Axiom	1
Cartagena	1
Chateau Roquefort	1
Cloud 9	1
Coloretto	1
Conflict of Heroes: Awakening the Bear! - Russia 1941-1942	1
Deduce or Die	1
Dominion	1
The Downfall of Pompeii	1
DVONN	1
A Game of Games	1
GIPF	1
Gulo Gulo	1
Hangman	1
Heroscape Expansion Set: Defenders of Kinsland	1
HeroScape Expansion Set: Malliddon's Prophecy	1
HeroScape Expansion Set: Road to the Forgotten Forest	1
HeroScape Expansion Set: Ticalla Jungle	1
It's Mine!	1
Jenga	1
Labyrinth	1
Labyrinth Card Game	1
Mamma Mia!	1
Memoir '44	1
Memoir '44 - Eastern Front	1
Memoir '44 - Winter/Desert Board Map	1
Nobody But Us Chickens	1
Pick Picknic	1
PÜNCT	1
Right Turn, Left Turn	1
San Juan	1
Der schwarze Pirat	1
Scrabble	1
Sherlock	1
TAMSK	1
Tipsy Tower	1
War of The Ring	1
YINSH	1
ZÈRTZ	1

The main gaming highlight for me in 2009 were a series of 14 games of Commands & Colors: Ancients played against Friendless early in the year. We played scenarios from the base game and the first three expansions and I thoroughly enjoyed each and every battle (even the ones I lost).

Things to look forward to in 2010 - My younger daughter turns 4 in January and I hope she can join in on some of the more simpler games we may play on Saturday mornings when her Grandmother visits. My elder daughter is now 8 and turns 9 in 2010. I'm looking forward to teaching and playing some more complex games with her over the next year.

I'm on holidays

I've taken some accrued leave from today and won't be back at work until 1 February 2010. Woohoo! 39 days of summer fun to look forward to. Yeah!

The Centaur has been found!

Two years ago I did a blog post on the sinking of the Centaur. The Centaur was an Australian hospital ship torpedoed and sunk during World War II off the coast of Brisbane by a Japanese submarine on 14 May 1943. 268 people died in that tragedy.


Today it was confirmed that the wreck of the Centaur has been located.

From News.Com.Au.

SHIPWRECK hunters have found the hospital ship Centaur which was torpedoed without warning in 1943 off the Queensland coast, killing 268 people.

Search director David Mearns has advised government officials of the exact location of the wreck and said filming of the wreck would begin in January.

Acting Prime Minister Julia Gillard said Australians and relatives of those who had been aboard the ship were grateful for the find.

"The discovery of the AHS Centaur will ensure all Australians know and commemorate the 268 brave nurses and crew who died in the service of their nation," Ms Gillard said.

"I hope by locating the final resting place of the AHS Centaur, the family and friends of those men and women who were tragically lost find some resolution."

The AHS Centaur was sunk by a Japanese submarine on 14 May, 1943 about 50 nautical miles east north-east of Brisbane. Of the 332 persons on board, only 64 survived.

The search crew has undertaken five high-resolution sonar tracklines over the target site, and is now conducting a further run to obtain a clearer picture of the wreck.

Queensland premier Anna Bligh said it was a time of reflection.

"It is timely to take a moment to remember those lives lost on that tragic day in 1943, and the devastating effect this has had on their families," Ms Bligh said.

"This morning's confirmation that the wreck has been found will hopefully provide some peace to the loved ones of those killed."

"We will now use this momentum to finish this task and film the wreck site.

"In early January, a remotely operated submersible vehicle equipped with a high-definition camera will collect high quality imagery of the wreck and the surrounding area."

Mr Mearns said the wreck is located approximately 30 nautical miles due east of the southern tip of Moreton Island (27 deg 16.98 South, 153 deg 59.22 East) at a depth of 2,059 metres.

The Australian and Queensland governments jointly committed $4 million to the search and officers from the Department of Defence and the Department of Premier and Cabinet provided oversight and technical assistance to the project.

Gaming with Grandma - 106

Another Saturday morning gaming session with my mother (AKA Grandma) and 8 year old daughter Maddie.

Our first game of the morning was the excellent deduction game CODA (AKA Da Vinci Code - The Game). We played two rounds with both Grandma and I winning a round each.


Our second game was Diamant using my home-made version. This push-your-luck game is a family favourite and we always have fun playing it. Final scores were me 46, Grandma 18 and Maddie 16.


Our final game of the morning was the dexterity game Der Schwarze Pirat. I love the production quality of this game from the beautiful board depicting the ocean and islands to the little wooden ships. Grandma was the winner with 17 points, Maddie on 10, and me last on 9.

Xbox Live

I finally joined Xbox Live. My gamertag is Ozvortex360.

Now I'll be able to enjoy the online multiplayer action that I've been craving since I got my Xbox 360 two years ago.

Gaming with Grandma - 105

Grandma arrived early this morning at 7:00 am so that we could all go for a swim in the pool before the sun got too high in the sky. After a nice refreshing swim we decided to play some games.

Our first game was Round the Bend (AKA Labyrinth). My version of this popular solitaire dexterity game was produced in 1970 by Vic-Toy (a division of Invicta Plastics Ltd) and made in England. It's made of solid plastic and has two sliding arms that adjust the angle of the board to move the metal ball around the track. There are numerous holes in the board and one has to be very careful or the ball will disappear into one of these holes. Depending on the hole and direction from which your ball fell determines what score you achieve. If you can follow the track all the way around the board you can get to the final hole and score the maximum 50 points.

Maddie playing the game while Georgia looks on

It's a fun dexterity game and with practice you can increase your skill. We took it in turns, having three goes each, before passing it on to the next player. After about 45 minutes we decided to stop. I achieved the highest score of 31 out of a possible 50.

Our next game was Shaky Pisa Tower (AKA Tipsy Tower). This is one I picked up a year or so ago from a dollar store and I thought it looked interesting. We hadn't played it before so I decided to bring it out this morning.

In this game players place pieces onto a tower with a convex base. The shape of the base causes the tower to lean back and forth when a piece is placed on to one of the levels. Players roll a die with coloured faces and then must place a piece on to the level of that colour matching the colour rolled. If a player makes the pieces fall off then they must add them to their own pieces. First person to place all their pieces wins.

The tipsy tower of Shaky Pisa Tower

We weren't that impressed with this game. There are more enjoyable dexterity games using a similar balancing mechanic available so I may eventually get rid of this game. For the time being this game is being relegated to the kid's gaming cupboard.

New Games on my Radar

Every so often a new release game or game expansion catches my eye. Here's a list of games released in 2009, or due for release in the near future, that I currently have on my wishlist.


Commands & Colors: Napoleonics - Anyone who knows me will tell you I'm a big fan of Richard Borg's Commands & Colors series of wargames. The next installment in the series will be Napoleonic warfare and is expected to be published late 2010 or early 2011. Can't wait.



Commands & Colors: Ancients Expansion Pack #4: Imperial Rome - I simply love C&C Ancients. This expansion pack provides more Romans and pits them against enemies such as the Parthians, Ancient British, Teutonic Barbarians as well as more Roman on Roman Civil War fun.



Commands & Colors: Ancients Expansion Pack #5: Epic Ancients II - Rules, cards and battles to play this great game in 'epic mode' on two boards laid side by side. Two to eight players can enjoy these larger games.



Rush n' Crush - I enjoy racing games and I enjoy combat games. Rush n' Crush blends these two themes together nicely in what has been touted as faster, more bloodier, version of Formula De. Published this year by Rackham and AEG, Rush n' Crush is set in the AT-43 universe on the war-torn planet Ava, where the inhabitants have invented an auto racing sport involving armoured racing cars, twisted speedways filled with dangerous obstacles, and no rules racing. Sounds like a lot of fun for 3 - 6 players where there can only be one winner.



Letter of Marque - Recently published by Fantasy Flight Games and designed by Bruno Faidutti this is a light bluffing game with a theme of treasure, temptation and trickery on the high seas. I've enjoyed Faidutti designed games such as Red November and Diamant (with Alan R. Moon) so am looking forward to Letter of Marque.



BattleLore: Heroes Expansion - OK, OK, more Richard Borg and C&C goodness in the form of mighty Heroes for BattleLore. This expansion introduces player-created Leaders and Champions to augment your camp's forces in battles.



BattleLore: Dragons - This BattleLore expansion provides three deadly dragons to unleash on to your battlefields. Cool.




BattleLore: Creatures - This new BattleLore expansion includes sculpts of the previously limited Earth Elemental (now billed as a Rock Elemental with new rules), the Hill Giant (now a Forest Giant) and the brand new Hydra.

Gaming with Grandma - 104

Another Saturday morning gaming session with my mother (AKA Grandma) and 8 year old daughter, Maddie.

Our game this morning was Formula Motor Racing, designed by Reiner Knizia and published by GMT Games. I'd purchased this game earlier in the year but had not broken the shrink wrap on it until today. For Grandma and Maddie it was their first play but I'd played it before.

I had fond memories of playing this game with some mates at the famous Young and Jackson pub in Melbourne back in 2004 before we attended the Australian Formula 1 Grand Prix. (On a side note the pub is well known for the beautiful nude painting Chloé, painted by French artist Jules Joseph Lefebvre in 1875 - click on the link to see the painting, oh, and I do recommend the pub's own beer brand, Naked Ale, made in honour of Chloé).

We decided to play three races and the winner would be the team with the most points at the end of the season. Grandma was yellow, Maddie was purple and I was green. The non-player teams were red, blue and orange.



Game 1:
1st - Maddie - 10 points
2nd - Blue - 6 points
3rd - Grandma - 4 points
4th - Wayne - 3 points
5th - Wayne - 2 points
6th - Red - 1 point

So after Game 1 the teams were 1st Maddie (10), 2nd Blue (6), 3rd Wayne (5), 4th Grandma (4), 5th Red (1), 6th Orange (0).

Game 2:
1st - Grandma - 10 points
2nd - Wayne - 6 points
3rd - Maddie - 4 points
4th - Blue - 3 points
5th - Orange - 2 points
6th - Blue - 1 point

So after Game 2 the team standings looked like this - 1st Grandma (14), 2nd Maddie (14), 3rd Wayne (11), 4th Blue (10), 5th Orange (2), 6th Red (1).

Game 3:
1st - Wayne - 10 points
2nd - Blue - 6 points
3rd - Grandma - 4 points
4th - Red - 3 points
5th - Orange - 2 points
6th - Maddie - 1 point

Final season standings were 1st Wayne (21), 2nd Grandma (18), 3rd Blue (16), 4th Maddie (15), 5th Red (4), 6th Orange (4).

Going into the last race of the season it was still any one's game. Through clever play (and a little luck) I managed to pull out a win on the final race to gain enough points to push me to the final 1st place.

Grandma and I thoroughly enjoyed the game. Maddie said it was OK but wasn't too keen on the 'take that' aspect of the card play. You could see her enthusiasm for the game start to wane whenever she lost a car or had a bad card played on one of her cars. I suspect (and hope) that as she matures as a gamer she will come to enjoy games where one can interfere with opponent's plans.

I believe games are an important way to learn how to cope with challenges and setbacks. Always trying to help my children learn life lessons I pointed out to Maddie that both she and Grandma were actively targeting Daddy with bad cards throughout the three games. I explained to her that rather than getting upset I accepted that I would most likely not win but instead chose to enjoy the challenge of trying to do my best despite the odds stacked against me. Let's hope a little of that philosophy has sunk in for her.

Kids can sometimes take things too literally

I was sitting with my three year old daughter Georgia.

"OK, Georgie, imagine you had one apple and I gave you another apple," I said. "How many apples would you have?"

"Two!" she exclaimed.

"OK, now imagine if I took an apple away," I said. "What's left?"

She points to her left.

We all cracked up laughing.